"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them..." - Psalms 127:3-5
My daughter and I watched one of our favorite shows together the other night, The Wonder Years. It's the reflections of a grown man, reliving the ups and downs, the joys, the pains, the "wonder" of his adolescent years. Though uniquely his, they are, in many ways, experiences universal to all of us. It's a great show.
As I watched with my daughter I realized that, as a young high school student, she was living through the final days of her own Wonder Years.
She has her own memories, her own drama playing out in the hallways between classes, over the seat backs of her school bus and, in an environment unique to her generation, her texting and Facebooking world. Maybe that's why she enjoyed watching the show as much as I did.
I realized as I sat there with my daughter that even as both my children have lived through their Wonder Years, I've experienced them from a different perspective. My memories of my kids wonder years are rich. They include:
- Wrestling matches on the carpet
- Nightly stare down contests
- Secret family handshakes
- Pillow fights followed by a bed time prayer at the side of the bed.
- Running to dad to pull out a sliver
- Squeels of joy over my special Sabbath morning pancakes and beef bacon.
- Jockeying for the best position on daddy's lap, as if it was the only chair in the room
- A daily dose of "kugs" (code word for kisses and hugs) before heading out the door each morning
- The yell of Daddy's Home! and the rush into my waiting arms when I enter our home after a long day
- and many, many more, too numerous to mention...
Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't enjoy my kids as much as they are getting older. I do....immensely. Watching them grow and mature brings a lot of joy to my wife and I. It's just that I wasn't quite ready for the wonder of those early years to fade away as quickly as they have.
So yesterday morning, as my daughter was getting ready to rush out the door to the bus without so much as a "see ya", my nostalgia got the better of me. "Hey, wait just a minute princess!" I protested. "You're not getting out of here without a kiss goodbye." To which she stopped, spun around, threw me a quick air kiss, with a sigh said "love you daddy" and was out the door...leaving me to feel a little needy for asking. Ah, the fading remnants of the wonder years. I guess I have to let them go sometime. I realize it's the natural order of things, and that each particular stage of their lives will hold it's own new set of wonders, but, for me, none as much as those early days. I only wish I had taken more time to appreciate them while they were here.
So, my advice to parents of young children: Don't take them for granted. Don't let the stresses of life, the struggle to make ends meet, to establish your career, to build the home of your dreams, the hassles of carting them from place to place, activity to activity, distract you from enjoying the wonder. Appreciate each and every wonderful moment with your young children to its fullest. Like me, you'll be looking back on them with nostalgia before you know it.
So yesterday morning, as my daughter was getting ready to rush out the door to the bus without so much as a "see ya", my nostalgia got the better of me. "Hey, wait just a minute princess!" I protested. "You're not getting out of here without a kiss goodbye." To which she stopped, spun around, threw me a quick air kiss, with a sigh said "love you daddy" and was out the door...leaving me to feel a little needy for asking. Ah, the fading remnants of the wonder years. I guess I have to let them go sometime. I realize it's the natural order of things, and that each particular stage of their lives will hold it's own new set of wonders, but, for me, none as much as those early days. I only wish I had taken more time to appreciate them while they were here.
So, my advice to parents of young children: Don't take them for granted. Don't let the stresses of life, the struggle to make ends meet, to establish your career, to build the home of your dreams, the hassles of carting them from place to place, activity to activity, distract you from enjoying the wonder. Appreciate each and every wonderful moment with your young children to its fullest. Like me, you'll be looking back on them with nostalgia before you know it.